An Aurora police officer arrived ahead of fire crews at a burning home on North Randall Road early on September 21 and continued working to account for the residents, forcing open an interior bedroom door and pulling a sleeping man to safety as flames reached the attic. Bodycam video of the rescue shows Officer Justin Cebulski working through a language barrier with residents gathered outside before realizing one person remained unaccounted for.
According to Patch, the fire broke out around 6:27 a.m. in the 1100 block of North Randall Road, and Cebulski persistently questioned the escaping residents until he established that one man was still asleep inside while the fire spread upward. The footage, also captured on video as reported by FOX 32 Chicago, shows the officer helping all seven people who lived in the home escape the burning structure.
Chief Credits Officer's Insistence on Accounting for Everyone
Aurora Police Chief Matt Thomas publicly commended Cebulski's “steady focus and decisive action,” saying in a department video posted to Instagram that Cebulski kept working to account for everyone and acted quickly when he learned someone remained inside. The same department post states that Aurora Fire Department crews arrived within minutes of Cebulski forcing the door, moving quickly to suppress flames that had spread into the interior and attic, and that all seven occupants escaped; no injuries were reported among residents or Cebulski.
Not the First Forced-Entry Rescue for Aurora Officers
This is not the first time Aurora officers have forced their way into a burning home ahead of fire crews. In September 2025, investigators Michael Ely and Jacob Leonard performed a similar bodycam-captured rescue during a home fire in the 2000 block of Whitehall Court, safely evacuating a 4-year-old dog named Oakley, who led the officers to his own leash, according to Police1. That video also circulated widely after the department released it.
In this incident, Cebulski arrived before fire crews and made a rapid decision to enter after learning someone remained inside. Aurora was ranked #33 overall and #17 in Home & Community Safety nationally in WalletHub's 2025 Safest Cities in America study, which weighed factors including first responder staffing, as reported by FOX 32 Chicago.
Illinois Law Mandates Smoke Alarms Near Sleeping Areas
The Randall Road rescue also underscores why state law treats smoke detectors near bedrooms as non-negotiable. Under the Illinois Smoke Detector Act, single-family homes must maintain working smoke alarms within 15 feet of all sleeping rooms, and any battery-operated alarm installed since January 1, 2023, must use a sealed, non-removable 10-year battery, according to the Illinois General Assembly.
In August, a second-alarm apartment fire on East Alameda Place drew police, according to earlier coverage by Hoodline. The department praised Cebulski's actions on Randall Road, where he arrived before firefighters and acted quickly after learning someone remained inside.
